


Agents of SHIELD: The Defenders

by orphan_account



Category: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Defenders (Marvel TV)
Genre: Crossover, Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-08-23
Updated: 2017-11-28
Packaged: 2018-12-18 00:02:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 8
Words: 9,849
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11862423
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: The power vacuum left behind by the Hand's defeat has led to a rise in crime in New York. The worst of which comes from the Many Heads, the self proclaimed successors to HYDRA, who consist of HYDRA sympathizers, ex HYDRA members and even a few surviving Hand members. And to make matters worse, they've gotten their hands on what gave the Hand their immortality.Realizing they may need some extra manpower, Phil decides to recruit the Defenders to join in the fight.





	1. Old Orphanage Buddies

**Author's Note:**

> This series basically ignores most of the non-Ghost Rider related stuff in Season 4 of AOS. Nothing against it, I just didn't think this would work otherwise.
> 
> I'm back. Sorry, guys, girls and everyone else. I don't know if 'I just forgot I was writing this' is a good excuse, but I'll try and be more consistent. Also, after watching The Punisher (great series BTW), I'm considering bringing Frank into this.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Still recovering from his injuries, Matt is visited by an old friend from St Agnes.

'Foggy. Foggy. Foggy.'

Matt woke up to the same aches he had been waking up to for the past few weeks. With as little effort as possible, he grabbed his mobile and started to get on his feet. The slightest movement caused Matt some level of pain. He had learned to avoid moving his stomach as one of his ribs was still in bad condition. He accepted the call and stood up.

"Hey, Foggy." he started.

"Hey, Matt. Just checking in. You still aching all over?" Foggy asked. Matt could tell by the tone of his voice he wasn't really joking.

"Just the bits that really hurt. So yeah, I'm still aching all over." he answered sarcastically.

"Are you sure you don't need anything? I could probably pay for a killer massage. Though hopefully, not a literal killer massage." Foggy offered. Matt laughed as he opened the fridge to get a cold drink.

"I'm fine, Foggy. Really. I could definitely use something to do though." he admitted.

"Uh, I could come over with some of my cases." Foggy suggested. Matt heard a knock at his door. He walked to the sofa to put on a shirt. "It could be like the old days."

"Do you mean Nelson & Murdock old days or Law University old days?" he asked. He focused on the person at the door. He could smell some light lipstick. They tapped their feet while they waited, which were small. So most likely it was a woman.

"Both. I'll pop by tomorrow. Keep you company. Take care, man." Foggy finished.

"See you then." Matt replied. They both hung up their phones. Matt walked over to the door, and as he got to a couple feet away, he smelled gunpowder on her person. Matt opened the door, expecting it to be a police officer.

"Mr. Murdock?" the woman said. Matt nodded. She didn't say anything else for a second. She definitely wasn't an officer. "You don't remember me. I'm Daisy, we grew up at St. Agnes together. I was called Skye back then."

"Oh, uh, hi. Hey." Matt said. Skye was one of the few kids Matt ever talked to at St Agnes. "Uh, come in."

Matt walked back into the apartment. When he twisted, he felt his side stab slightly. He grabbed and massaged it to try and ease the pain. Daisy seemed to notice.

"Are you OK?" she asked.

"Yeah. Mostly." Matt joked. He heard Daisy give a slight chuckle. "Car accident. Didn't see where I was going. Though I guess that goes without saying."

"How have you been? Besides being run over." Daisy asked. Matt chuckled as he walked to the fridge to get an ice pack.

"I've been fine. Became a lawyer. That's going quite well." he answered as he applied the ice to his battered ribs. "How about you? I bet life's been nicer to you than it has to me."

"You'd be surprised." Daisy replied.

"Oh, not much surprises me anymore." Matt remarked. He walked over to sit next to Daisy on the sofa. "So, why are you here, really? I mean, you never seemed like the kind of person who would pop round just to say hi."

It took Daisy a couple seconds to respond to that. As if she wished they just kept talking about themselves. Matt quickly got the sense that this kind of small talk was something she didn't do as much as she liked.

"So, I'm an Agent of SHIELD." she started, speaking more quietly. She stopped and waited for Matt's reaction. Matt gave a small nod. "And we need your help."

"Huh." he uttered. "I thought SHIELD would have a pretty good law department."

"I don't mean as a lawyer. I mean as in.. your other job." Daisy added. Matt did not respond at first. He remembered how it ended for him the last time he got back into that uniform. It was only a few weeks ago, after all. He knew what Foggy and Karen would say. Don't do it. And they'd be right. Saying yes would be probably the stupidest decision Matt had made in a long time. Common sense was telling him to politely decline and focus on recovering and returning to a simple life as a lawyer. But then again, for having the most sensitive ears in the world, Matt was deaf when it came to common sense.

"What do you need the Devil of Hell's Kitchen for?" he said. Daisy gave a sigh of relief. She'd been hanging on his answer for a while, fearing he'd say no.

"Gimme a second." Daisy requested. She stood up and walked a few steps away from Matt before calling someone on her phone. "I have good news and bad news."

"One of these days, it'll just be good news." joked the man on the other end. Matt liked him already.

"He's down to help us out, but he's in worse condition than we thought. Even with Jemma's new medicine, it'll take a while for him to be back in fighting shape." Daisy explained.

"Better late than never. Besides, it's not just his fists we need. If we're going to take these guys down properly, we have to do it legit. A good legal case against them will make them vulnerable for the public to see." the man explained. "Put him on speaker phone."

Daisy did as he asked. Clearly this man was her boss. Or maybe her new adopted father. Or both. The man started to speak, but Matt interjected, shocking Daisy and cutting the man off before he finished the first word.

"You're about to ask me if I can put together a strong enough case to take down whoever you need my help with." Matt stated. Matt could feel Daisy thinking of something to say. Her breathing changed like she was about to speak, but nothing seemed to come to mind. Matt tried to hide his childish grin.

"Can you?" the man asked, trying to hide his surprise.

"I should be able to put together something useful." Matt replied.

"Good to know. Daisy, take him to our new HQ. We'll brief you there, Mr. Murdock, and we'll help with your injuries as best we can." the man ordered.

"This new HQ better be nice." Daisy replied. Matt smiled a little. Working for SHIELD was definitely going to be interesting.


	2. Hero of Harlem

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Coulson and Mack go to meet the Hero of Harlem.

"It's in Hell's Kitchen, how nice could it be?" Phil joked. "No offense, Mr. Murdock."

"None taken." Matt replied.

"We'll see you both there. Briefing will be at 8PM sharp." Phil added before he hung up the phone. He and Mack had been walking through Harlem for a while now. Every person they asked seemed to have their own story about Luke Cage. It seemed Luke Cage had resigned to simply helping people out since the mess that occurred at Midland Circle. There was the occasional day when he would hit a drug dealer or a small gang hideout. But most people said he was just giving his neighbors a helping hand, with very little crime fighting. Phil noticed that people in Harlem didn't seem to be afraid of anything. Most people in New York walked around like they were expecting the sky to crack open again. The people in Harlem didn't have this anxiety. It seemed having a bulletproof superhero live just around the corner made people feel safe.

It wasn't long until they found who they were looking for. He was pretty hard to miss. Not only was he as tall as Mack, he was holding the rear end of a pretty large car like it was light shopping. A man was lying under the car, clearly working on something. A little girl walked up to Luke and asked an autograph. Luke lifted the rear of the car and placed it on his shoulder while he signed her piece of paper. The man working on the car came out from under it.

"A little warning next time." he said. Luke chuckled.

"Sorry man." Luke apologized. He sounded very formal. He gave the signed paper back to the girl, who left with a huge smile on her face. Luke let the car back down and the man returned to work. Phil and Mack walked up to him.

"I'm guessing you're Mister Cage?" Phil greeted. Luke looked up at them.

"What gave it away?" he joked.

"Oh, the hoodie was a dead giveaway." Phil joked in return. Luke chuckled again. "I'm Phil Coulson. This is Mack. We're agents of SHIELD, and we need your help."

"Hey, Luke, I'm done under here." the man said before Luke could respond. Luke lifted the car a bit more to allow the man to get out from under it easily. He let it down gently and went to shake the man's hand. "Thanks for the help, man. I can't tell you how much this saved me."

"No problem. Take it easy, man." Luke replied, and the man got in his newly repaired car and departed. Luke turned back to face Phil and Mack.

"SHIELD, huh?" he started. Phil couldn't tell what Luke thought of them. Though it was fair to say he didn't sound like a fan of SHIELD. "I thought you guys died with Hydra."

"Well, HYDRA stuck around and someone needed to clean up the trash." Phil clarified. "Tell me, the Many Heads. Heard of them?"

"Mostly what I've seen on the news." Luke started. "A hate group operating around New York. Busted a hideout of theirs here in Harlem. Bad news, but nothing major as far as I knew."

"They aren't. Not now. But we have reason to believe they may become a serious problem if we leave them be." Phil explained. "We've asked your friends to meet us at our new headquarters in Hell's Kitchen at 8PM. You already have the address."

Luke checked his phone. He had indeed received the address via text.

"Friends?" Luke asked. He seemed to know the answer just as he finished the question. "I've still got a few people to help here. But I'll pop round."

"See you then, Mister Cage." Phil finished. Luke waved them goodbye and walked away. Phil and Mack started to make their way back to the tube station. Phil noticed Mack was looking shell shocked. "I must say, Mack, you've been pretty talkative today."

"Hm?" he uttered, finally coming back to Planet Earth. "Sorry, sir. It's just... that was the Hero of Harlem. I just talked to the Hero of Harlem. Sort of. It counts as talking if only one side does the talking, right?"

"I must say, you handled yourself better than I did when I met Steve Rogers." Phil said, trying to make Mack feel better.

"Oh, how did that go?" he asked. Phil didn't talk about meeting the Avengers as much as you'd expect.

"I... told him i watched him while he was sleeping." Phil admitted. Mack almost burst out laughing.

"Come on, sir." Mack started. He clearly had some joke in mind but he was fighting the urge to laugh to much to say it out loud.

"It was not one of my finest moments." Phil said, grinning with Mack. "So, that's two out of four. I hope the others are as lucky as we are."

"From what I heard about Miss Jones, we'll probably have to stick with three out of four." Mack doubted.

"I don't know, May's done the impossible before." Phil said optimistically.


	3. Alias Investigations

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> While Trish tries to get Jessica to finally take another case, a client knocks on the door.

"Billionaire playboy Danny Rand was kidnapped by the criminal organization called the Hand and taken to Midland Circle for unknown reasons." read Trish. "Danny was saved by the Devil of Hell's Kitchen, hero of Harlem Luke Cage, private investigator Jessica Jones, and close friend of Danny, Colleen Wing. An officer named Misty Knight was able to assist with the rescue at the cost of her arm and is currently recovering in hospital. The building collapsed soon after Danny and his rescuers made it out of the building. The Devil of Hell's Kitchen stayed behind and is presumed dead. People all over Hell's Kitchen are in mourning as the mysterious vigilante who kept them safe at night has died to protect them. All eyes now turn to the man and women who saved Danny Rand as they continue protecting our great city."

"That story is three weeks old. Skip to the goddamn point, my hangover's bad enough as it is." Jessica moaned. They were both in Jessica's apartment. Trish was reading a story from the New York Bulletin released the day after Midland Circle collapsed into the ground.

"That is my point. Three weeks. What has private investigator Jessica Jones done since then?" Trish finished, putting the paper down on Jessica's desk.

"I've taken some frankly well deserved time off." she answered. Trish gave her a stern look. "Come on, the last case I took ended with me nearly getting crushed by a skyscraper."

"Jess, you can't just hide yourself away until the world forgets you exist. This-" Trish pointed at the newspaper. "- would be good for business if you took advantage of it."

"I'm a private investigator, Trish. Not some hero for hire." Jessica replied. There was a knock at the door.

"Does it matter which one you are so long as it pays?" asked Trish. Another knock.

"Yeah, cause I sure as hell ain't doing the hero thing. If people want a hero, they can go ask Luke, or that Spider guy in Queens." Jessica said. As she spoke, she walked to the door and opened it. "Go away."

Jessica slammed the door in the knocker's face. Trish barely got a glimpse of them. She glared at Jessica as she walked back behind her desk.

"That was a client. And you literally slammed the door in their face." Trish said.

"She's looking for a PI, she's middle aged, if I let her in, her first words would be 'my husband's been acting strange lately.'" Jessica clarified, doing her 'client' voice. As Trish sighed, the door was knocked yet again. Jessica groaned and reached into her desk for a piece of paper with a number on it. She got up and paced loudly to the door, opening it dangerously fast. "Yes, your husband is cheating on you. No, it's nothing to be ashamed of. Here's the number of a divorce lawyer. Now please piss off."

Jessica tried to close the door but the woman put her foot in the way. She was stronger than she looked.

"My name is Melinda May, Agent of SHIELD." she introduced. Trish recognized that last word and got up to walk to the door. "And if you close this door in my face again-"

"I'll do worse unless you move your foot in less than-" Jessica started some sort of creative and gory threat, but Trish stopped her.

"Hold up, Jess. Did you say SHIELD?" Trish asked. May showed them both a badge.

"It matches your outfit. Move your foot." Jessica repeated.

"Jess, this is SHIELD. This could be very serious." Trish said. Jess paused for a few seconds. Giving in, she walked back to sit behind her desk.

"Thank you, Miss Walker." May greeted as she walked into Jessica's apartment. Trish walked to sit back in her seat by the desk. May continued standing, holding herself like a soldier. Standing tall and firm. "Miss Jones, how familiar are you with the Many Heads?"

"They're a bunch of genocidal maniacs." Jessica answered.

"Not just any bunch of genocidal maniacs, I'm afraid." May corrected. Jessica expressed a hint of curiosity. "We are currently looking into them, and we'd like your help on that front."

"Why not go to another PI who is actually working at the moment?" Jessica asked, with an extremely passive aggressive tone.

"Other PI's can't stop a car with their bare hands." May responded. "We know you're not the 'save the world' type, so we're willing to pay for your services."

"Well, that's very nice of you." Jessica said sarcastically. "But as I said, I'm not working at the-"

"Triple what your clients normally pay." May added. That caught Jessica's attention. Trish could tell by the look on her face Jessica wasn't going to say no. Inevitably, Jessica nodded.

"I guess punching some white supremacists in the face isn't the worst way to make money." she joked.

"Be at that address at 8PM tonight. Your friends will be there too." May ordered. She took out a card and put it on Jessica's desk. 

"Friends?" Jessica asked.

"Big fan, by the way." May said to Trish. She left and shut the door behind her. Trish was practically blushing.

"Hey, Trish. What the hell did she mean friends?" Jessica continued asking.

"Who the hell do you think?" Trish said gleefully. Trish looked at the desk and Jessica followed her gaze. She was looking at the newspaper. It's front page story was titled "The Defenders: A New Superhero Team?"

"Ah, jesus." Jessica groaned.


	4. The Immortal What Now?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Fitz and Simmons meet Danny and Colleen - both pairs are very surprised by the other.

"I'll be honest, this is the last place I'd expect to meet a billionaire." Simmons remarked. They were just outside the dojo where Danny Rand supposedly lived.

"Danny Rand isn't a normal billionaire." Fitz said. "Shall we?"

Simmons knocked on the door. They only waited a few seconds until Colleen Wing opened the door. She looked a bit defensive.

"Who are you?" she asked bluntly.

"I'm Agent Simmons and this is Agent Fitz from SHIELD." Simmons greeted as kindly as she could. She was a bit nervous Colleen would do worse than slam the door in their faces if they made any sort of threat. "We'd like to talk to you and Mr Rand about the incident at Midland Circle."

"Come in. Take your shoes off." Colleen replied. Simmons slipped out of her shoes and Fitz knelled down to untie his. "Hey, Danny, some spies here to talk to you. From SHIELD."

Danny came out from the back room in simple jeans and a shirt. If he was a billionaire, he didn't dress like it. He moved forward quickly and extended his hand. He shook Simmons and Fitz's hands quite eagerly.

"Hi." he said. He didn't speak like a typical billionaire either. More like a college student still in his first year.

"Hi." Simmons repeated. "Like Colleen said, we're from SHIELD. We'd like to talk to you about Midland Circle. And the Hand."

"OK, uh, I was kidnapped. They wanted to use my company to further their organization. I said no. I was saved by a few people, including Colleen. The building collapsed just as we got out." Danny said quickly. By the sound his voice, he seemed to know Simmons and Fitz wouldn't buy it.

"You got that right from the newspaper, didn't you?" Fitz asked. Danny laughed to himself.

"I never was that good at lying." he admitted.

"You and Colleen traveled all over the world. Our intel says you were tracking the Hand. May we ask why?" Fitz requested.

"It's my mission to destroy the Hand. And don't ask why, you wouldn't believe me if I told you." Danny said, almost avoiding the question.

"Mr. Rand, our best friend can cause earthquakes, our boss died and came back to life, and we recently fought ghosts alongside a man who can turn into a flaming skeleton." Simmons said. Danny lost them at earthquakes, but he got the overall message.

"I'm the Immortal Iron Fist." Danny stated.

"The Immortal what now?" Fitz asked.

"Sworn protector of K'un-Lun and enemy of the Hand." he added. He sounded like he was a bit sick of saying it.

"Right." Simmons said. "Well, Mr. Rand, we believe the Hand aren't gone for good. And since you are the.. sworn enemy of the Hand, we figured we could use your help."

Danny looked at Colleen. She hadn't spoken a word since letting Simmons and Fitz in. She stood in the corner unnoticed watching them and keeping her katana close in hand.

"I'll do anything I can." Danny answered.

"Excellent." Simmons said, a bit too excitedly. She handed Danny a card. "Meet us at that address at 8PM. Which is in... oh blimey, under an hour. We need to get back to HQ. It was nice meeting you both."

"Oh my god, for a second I thought I didn't exist." Colleen joked.

"We really should get going, Jemma." Fitz said, looking a little scared of Colleen's katana. Simmons and Fitz left quickly. Danny fiddled with the card a bit, trying to think.

"Everyone I asked told me SHIELD didn't exist anymore." Danny said.

"Everyone thought they didn't." Colleen added. Danny could tell by Colleen's expression that she didn't trust them fully.

"What is it?" he asked.

"'Our boss died and came back to life.' Doesn't that sound like a certain cult we had to save you from a few weeks ago?" Colleen replied. Danny laughed at what Colleen was strongly implying.

"They are definitely not members of the Hand. Do you really think the Hand would let something like that slip to the Iron Fist? Plus, well, you heard them speak. They are about as far away from the Hand as any two people can be." Danny responded.

"OK, fair enough." Colleen concurred. "But it is a bit weird. Plus, even removing HYDRA from the equation, SHIELD weren't the most ethically sound organization."

"Maybe not, but if this is the Hand, then the enemy of my enemy is my friend." Danny reasoned. Colleen sighed in resignation.

"Fine, but we're getting some pizza on the way. If this turns out to be some sort of trap, I'm not fighting on an empty stomach." Colleen finished.


	5. Defenders Reunited

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Matt connects with Daisy on the way to the SHIELD HQ - Danny & Colleen meet some familiar faces on the tube.

Matt and Daisy walked through the streets of Hell's Kitchen with a quick pace. Time had gotten the better of them. Matt thought they would be able to get a coffee and then make their way on foot. But given how injured he was, they had to walk directly to the HQ. He held onto Daisy's arm as she led the way. They were silent for most of the walk, as Daisy looked at the city. Sight seeing wasn't something she had time to do most of the time. But her gaze kept going back to Matt. Questions were floating around in her head. The most obvious question had to be first:

"How can a blind man fight crime?" she asked. Matt chuckled at the question. "What?"

"I thought that would have been the first thing you asked." he elaborated. "And I thought you'd have been more surprised."

"Well, I guess I know the rough answer. I just want to hear you explain it. Plus, I've come across some pretty weird shit." she admitted.

"I, uh... when the accident happened, my other senses were enhanced somehow." Matt started. "I didn't realize what was going on at first. I thought it was all noise. But sometimes, I tried to... make my way around like I wasn't blind. Sometimes I could, sometimes I couldn't."

"That explains why we first met when you walked head first into my door." Daisy interrupted.

"Was- was that how we met?" Matt asked, laughing at the memory.

"Yep. I was worried the nuns would think I hit you, so I tried to patch you up, and-" she started, also laughing.

"-and you had no idea how to do it." Matt finished. They both shared a good laugh. Sharing happy childhood memories was a rare occasion for both of them. "Then, a man called- called Stick came round. He taught me to... to stop fighting all the input. That was my problem. Even when I tried to move around, I was ignoring most of the world around me. He taught me to let it in, process it all. And eventually, I could make my way around a room like I could see. And when I had that down, I focused on stuff beyond that."

"OK. Follow up question, just how good are your other senses? Can you... hear my heartbeat?" Daisy asked.

"Yep. And it's quite a healthy one, I must say." Matt answered. It made Daisy chuckle a bit.

"Thanks. I bet that stuff helps with the ladies." Daisy added. Matt chuckled this time.

"Yeah, it comes in handy." Matt replied. Daisy really laughed this time. "That wasn't a- I didn't mean as in-"

He couldn't finish the sentence. They were both laughing too hard to talk for a good few seconds. Daisy was the first to catch her breath.

"Do you miss the orphanage?" she asked. Matt's laugh slowly faded. And then the grin faded along with it.

"No." he said honestly. "In the end, I think all it was was a constant reminder my dad was gone. That my mother couldn't look after me. I don't suppose you miss it either."

"I- I don't know. Sometimes I-" she started. Matt held her arm tight and stopped in his tracks. He looked focused. "What is it?"

"Someone's following us." he explained. He moved his head like a dog, getting the best angle for his hearing. "Two women. One in heels, one in boots. The one in boots is wearing a leather jacket. And she- hold on." He took a couple strong sniffs. She smelled strongly of alcohol. Matt sighed. "I know who this is."

"Hey Murdock." Jessica yelled in greeting. She and Trish had been walking fast to catch up with them for about a minute. Matt and Daisy turned to face her. "You look good considering you had a building dropped on your face."

"Nice to meet you too, Miss Jones." Matt greeted in kind. "I suppose you were summoned by SHIELD as well."

"Yep." Jessica answered. She turned to Daisy. "I don't suppose you can tell us anymore about why we're being summoned."

"All I can tell you for now is that it possibly involves the Hand." Daisy replied.

"Jesus, I hoped I'd never hear that stupid name again." Jessica moaned. "Let's get going then."

Matt gently grabbed Daisy's hand and they walked ahead. Jessica and Trish followed suite.

"So that's the Devil of Hell's Kitchen?" Trish asked. Jessica nodded in response. Matt turned a bit but kept walking. "He's quite handsome."

"I guess." Jessica replied.

* * *

Danny and Colleen had been sitting in the subway for a few minutes. This was going to be Danny's first time in the tube. He had considered hiring a car, but Colleen noted that they had to be as conspicuous as possible. The tube was the fastest way to Hell's Kitchen that didn't draw attention. Though Colleen bringing her katana with her didn't help. A few people who walked by gave it and her some odd stares. Danny lied on his back, about to drift off. After he started working nights, he found himself taking naps extremely often. It was just as his eyes shut that Colleen poked him.

"Hey, it's coming." she said. Danny wiped his eyes as the train came into the station. The doors opened and Danny walked in. He looked in both directions and saw that it was fairly empty.

"Is it normally this quiet?" he asked.

"I wouldn't know. I hardly use the tube." Colleen answered. Danny got a bit of a shock when the tube started up. It was like a small version of turbulence. It wasn't a feeling he liked. Before he sat down, he looked at a couple people talking at the end of their section of the tube. He could faintly hear their voices. And they sounded familiar. Colleen looked where he was looking. She saw a large man in a hoodie with dark skin and a bald head. He was talking to someone next to him, who sounded like a woman. A woman Colleen knew. "Is that..."

"I think so." Danny responded. He walked over and recognized the two of them immediately. "Hey guys."

Luke and Claire turned around to see Danny and Colleen. They got up and hugged Danny and Colleen in turn. After their little meet and greet, they sat down opposite each other.

"You two heading to Hell's Kitchen as well?" Danny asked.

"Yeah. I'm guessing you got a visit from SHIELD too." Luke asked in return.

"Yeah. I thought they died with Hydra." Colleen replied.

"I asked them about that. They said Hydra stuck around and they needed to take care of that." Luke added.

"Uh, sorry, I'm completely lost." Danny cut in.

"OK, you know who Hydra were?" Colleen started.

"Yeah, they were the Nazi science division." Danny answered.

"Well, a few years ago, we found out that Hydra had survived World War 2 by living inside SHIELD. Captain America supposedly stopped Hydra and in the process shut down SHIELD. Though I guess it turns out he didn't take out either of them for good." she finished. When Danny nodded to show he took all that in, Colleen turned to Luke and Claire. "You guys think they called us in to fight Hydra?"

"Oh, I hope so. I can finally write punch a Nazi in the face off my bucket list." Claire replied. Luke and Colleen chuckled in agreement.

"I don't think so. The agents who spoke to us said they needed our help with the Hand." Danny doubted. Luke had a look of concern.

"They told me they were looking into the Many Heads." Luke said.

"Wait, as in, wannabe Hydra cult Many Heads?" Colleen asked. Luke nodded. Everyone resigned to silent confusion. Colleen looked to Danny, who seemed to be rethinking what Colleen said back at the dojo. Claire was the first to break the silence.

"Guys, the Many Heads. Have you seen their symbol?" Claire asked. None of the other three knew what she was getting at. She took out her phone and looked up an image which she showed to the other three. What they saw made them sit back in their seats in stunned silence. Confusion turned to dread in the blink of an eye.

The symbol was a hand with eight serpents growing from it.


	6. Welcome To SHIELD HQ

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Defenders reunite at SHIELD HQ. Matt finds out what Daisy meant by medicine.

"No, I won't do an interview." Matt said for at least the fifth time. They had by now walked away from the busier parts of Hell's Kitchen. Matt still kept the conversation quiet. He didn't want some passerby finding out his secret. "There is a reason I wear a mask."

"To hide the shame from wearing underwear?" Jessica joked. Matt sighed in response.

"I don't mean like that. I don't expect you to reveal your identity or anything. I just think people would like to get to know Daredevil." Trish argued.

"Criminals are afraid of Daredevil because they don't know him. I start doing interviews on the radio, I kind of lose that edge." Matt explained.

"You don't need criminals to be afraid of you to be good at beating them up." Daisy said. "In fact, sometimes, it's better if they aren't. It means you have a greater element of surprise."

"Can I quote you on that?" Trish asked, partly joking. "But hey, they could get to know you a bit better too. You are basically the face of SHIELD."

"I didn't ask for that." Daisy responded.

"Maybe not. But if people got to know you better, they'd feel like they know SHIELD a bit more. After the whole 'Hydra' thing, you can't gain public trust by keeping in the shadows. You want people to trust SHIELD again, you've got to be transparent." Trish continued. The mood fell silent after that. They kept walking and chatting for a couple blocks. Almost no one else was walking on the pavement, and there was no traffic at all. Daisy led them round a turn towards a series of warehouses. She took them to one at the end of the street. It didn't look like anyone had been here in years.

"Welcome to SHIELD HQ." Daisy said, with a strong hint of sarcasm. Even she wasn't impressed. But it seemed Jessica was much less impressed.

"I'm gonna be honest, I thought it would look a bit less shit." Jessica said bluntly.

"It looks fine to me." Matt said. Trish & Daisy laughed and Jessica grinned silently. Daisy knocked on the door. 3 knocks, 2, 4, 1, 2. It was opened by a guard. Daisy walked past casually. Matt lightly held Trish's arm as Jessica went in first while she glared at the guard. Trish averted her gaze from the guard while Matt gave him a fake smile. Jessica and Trish saw some weapons, Kevlar armor, and all sorts of military equipment being sorted in the main room. Organizing it was Coulson and May, who stopped to turn to the four new arrivals.

"Daisy. I don't think you needed to walk these three here." Coulson greeted. Matt didn't know if this was Daisy's boss or her new father, but now he was convinced he was both.

"Well, I felt like catching up with old friends, you know." Daisy replied. Jessica turned to Matt with mild confusion.

"You know her?" Jessica asked.

"We grew up in the same orphanage." Matt explained. This brought Coulson's attention to him, Jessica and Trish.

"Mr. Murdock. Miss Jones. Miss Walker. Thank you for all for coming. Welcome to SHIELD." he greeted. He shook their hands in that order. "I hope you all understand that by entering this building, you have all signed an oath of secrecy."

"If you say 'if you tell anyone, we'll have to kill you', I'll shove my boot up your ass." Jessica said.

"I told you Jessica would be hostile." May interjected.

"Nice to meet you again, Agent May." Jessica added sarcastically.

"Mister Murdock, Daisy said you were injured pretty badly." Coulson said quickly, trying to stop Jessica and May from attempting to sass each other to death.

"Yeah, it probably has something to do with that building that collapsed on my head. Apparently, that's quite dangerous." Matt remarked. Even May chuckled at that.

"May, take Mr. Murdock to the lab. Have Simmons take a look at him, access the damage. When you're done, give him the test." Coulson ordered. May walked up to Matt, who put his arm round hers as she led him into the next room. Phil turned back to Jessica and Trish. "Daisy, Miss Jones, Miss Walker, with me."

"Hold on, Mr. Bond. Test?" Jessica asked.

"You're about to take it." he cryptically answered.

* * *

 "So, Daisy was quite excited to meet up with you. I'm guessing you two were close." May started. She was quite formal.

"Yeah. Everyone at the orphanage avoided me. She avoided everyone at the orphanage. I guess it was a 'opposites attract' kind of thing." Matt replied. May brought Matt into a small room. Matt could hear the medical equipment and smell and taste medicines and serums all around the room. There were two people in the lab. One of them stopped working and walked up to Matt.

"Mr. Murdock. I'm Agent Simmons, this is Fitz. We're in charge of keeping everyone in fighting shape, as it were." Simmons greeted. Matt extended his hand and she shook it. "Hey, Fitz, is the FLBS ready?"

"Yep. We're ready for go." Fitz answered.

"FLBS?" Matt asked cautiously.

"Full Layer Body Scanner. It looks at your skin, muscles, bones, organs, every part of your body. Helps us identify all your injuries so we can measure how much medicine you need. Now, we need you to stand over there." Simmons said. Then she seemed to remember that Matt was blind. "Sorry, I'll- I'll lead you there. Just, grab my hand."

She was blushing a bit at that screw up. Matt didn't seem to mind. He took Simmons's hand as she led him into what looked like several high tech cameras & X-Ray machines positioned inward and towards each other like a circle. Matt heard the machines work, though he could tell they were silent to the others in the room.

"Jesus. I'm amazed you were able to walk here without breaking a bone." Fitz stated bluntly. "Most of your bones look quite fragile. All but one of your ribs is damaged to some degree. All ribs on one side are still broken. You needed our medicine several weeks ago."

"Speaking of which, your medicine is legal, I hope." Matt said. This was a spy organization, so for all he knew, it was banned in every country on earth.

"Don't worry, it's nothing dangerous. It accelerates the bodies natural metabolism. We designed it so that it wouldn't put too much pressure on the body. We're done scanning, you can come out now." Simmons explained. Matt walked and leaned on the desk by Fitz. He breathed heavily. He hadn't broken a bone, but the walk here had not helped the pain.

"You OK?" Fitz asked. He could tell Matt was trying to hide a groan from the pain. Matt nodded as Simmons prepared the medicine.

"If you just stay at your flat, move as little as possible, exercise cautiously, you'll be in fighting shape in about a week and fully repaired in about two weeks." Simmons clarified. She took a needle with the medication and injected it into Matt's shoulder. He barely felt it. The rest of his body was in constant pain, so it just felt normal. "You put stress on your body, or god forbid, take any more injuries, it could take a month, at best. So... take it easy, is what I'm saying."

"You two done in the lab?" May asked to Fitz and Simmons.

"Yeah, we're all finished here." Fitz answered. Simmons nodded in agreement.

"Go to the main room. If more guests turn up, make sure they get a warm welcome. Matt, with me." May ordered. Matt got the sense Phil wasn't the only one in charge here. Simmons and Fitz did as she said and Matt followed her away from the lab, a bit deeper into the warehouse. They came across Daisy, who was standing outside a door into where the test was. Suddenly, Jessica burst out the door, with Trish quickly behind her.

"That thing was a load of horse shit." she blurted. She was never into personal questions. "It's like... therapy plus an eye exam and those bullshit quizzes from high school 'If you were on a deserted island, what one thing would you have with you?' Why am i even on a deserted island? Plane crash? Bad luck? That Survivor show? How is it even relevant to being a goddamn spy?"

"We all have to go through it. Hell, you got the easy version." Daisy said.

"You two, back to the main room." May said formally. Jessica groaned and walked away.

"Sorry about her." Trish apologized before starting to follow her.

"You say that a lot, don't you?" Daisy asked as she walked away.

"You have no idea." Trish shouted back.

"I'm going to check on Coulson. You kids have fun." May said as she left as well. Matt and Daisy smiled to themselves.

"If it's an eye exam, I'm sure I'll do just fine." Matt joked.

"Do you ever get tired of making blind jokes?" Daisy asked, half joking.

"Uh, no. Never." Matt replied.

* * *

 Jessica and Trish had been waiting in the main room for a good 10 minutes. It felt longer to Jessica. She was starting to get sick of having to move out of everyone's way. Then there was Agent May, who watched them closely like they'd try and steal some high tech guns the moment she left them alone. Simmons was the first to break the silence.

"So, uh, Trish. Big fan. Of the talk show. Not the Patsy thing. I mean, the Patsy show wasn't bad, or anything." Simmons blurted, trying to keep her compliment from turning into an insult.

"Breath, Jemma." Fitz advised. Simmons stopped talking after that. They stood around in silence after that until Matt and Daisy returned to the main room.

"How did he do?" May asked to Daisy.

"Passed with flying colours. Though things got a bit shaky when he started asking questions back." Daisy answered. Matt faced down to hide his grin.

"Trust is a two way street." he stated. He arched his head a bit to the right and turned around to face one of the many cases that had been piled on each other. "Is there a... shotgun with an axe blade on it in here?"

"A what?" Jessica asked as if Matt was pulling a prank.

"Oh that's Mac's.  I wouldn't touch it, he's very fond of it." Daisy warned. Matt stepped away from the case.

"That wasn't a joke?" Jessica added. Which was followed by a loud sigh. "Do you also have knives that shoot bullets?"

"Jess, I think our other friends are just about to come in." Matt interjected. Jessica silenced herself. Not a minute later, there was a knock on the door. The guard standing by it turned to May, who nodded. He opened the door and Luke, Claire, Danny and Colleen walked through. They didn't seem too impressed with SHIELD HQ either.

"I'm gonna admit, the Helicarriers were may more impressive than this." Claire joked.

"Well, they've got a shotgun axe, if that helps." Jessica replied. This brought the four new arrivals attention to Matt, Jessica and Trish. Most of them greeted each other with a simple handshake. Not Danny. Danny hugged Trish, tried to hug Jessica, and finally hugged Matt a bit too hard. Their greetings were interrupted by a voice from the balcony.

"Defenders." Coulson announced. They all turned to face him. He looked down at them from the balcony with a type of iPad in his hand. "Follow me. Time to let you know why we're here."

Coulson walked into a room to the right after that.

"He's been rehearsing that all week." May clarified. Matt and Luke both chuckled at that revelation and went with Jessica, Trish, May, Daisy, Colleen and Danny up the stairs to follow Coulson.

"If he calls us the Defenders again, I'm shoving that fancy shotgun up his ass." Jessica remarked.

"What is it with you and shoving things up Coulson's ass?" Daisy responded.


	7. Mission Breifing

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Defenders are united once again - Coulson tells them why they have been summoned to SHIELD HQ.

The Defenders and Agents May, Johnson, Simmons, Fitz, Mac and Coulson all sat around a large and flat table that looked more like a TV screen on it's back. Coulson sat opposite most of the others, with Agent May and Simmons at his sides. Everyone knew this was a presentation of some sort. They quickly discovered it would be quite high tech when Coulson brought up a holographic image. It was a folder labelled 'The Hand.' It seemed to have entire sections that were blank.

"We only knew about the Hand a few weeks ago when you all exposed it to the world. Since then, we've been doing as much research as we can into them. And so far, we haven't found much. They are extremely good at not leaving fingerprints. But, thankfully, we know the basics. They are an ancient cult who can bring people back to life. We don't know how they do this, but-"

"Dragons." Danny interrupted. No one was expecting that answer. Jessica mouthed the words 'oh jesus'. "They use something in the bones of dragons that can keep them alive for countless years, and if needed, can bring them back from death."

"Right." Coulson replied. That seemed to be all he could say. "Anyway. The Hand were supposedly defeated at Midland Circle around a month ago by, well, you guys."

"Supposedly?" Matt questioned. "You think some members of the Hand survived a building being dropped on them?"

"To be fair, they wouldn't be the only ones." Danny stated.

"Maybe they didn't. Maybe not all of them were there that day." Coulson added. "But believe it or not, that's not the biggest problem we may be facing."

He brought up another file. One about the Many Heads. This one was more full. There were low quality videos of violence that made everyone feel a bit sick.

"After the fall of HYDRA a few years ago, there were a few groups who took up arms supporting them. Some of them went to work for what was left of HYDRA after SHIELD's collapse. Others claimed to be HYDRA's successors. The Many Heads were one of them. But they were quite low key. However, they've been growing alarmingly fast since a few weeks ago. Soon after Midland Circle."

"That could just be a coincidence." Luke said.

"We thought that as well. Until Simmons came across this." Coulson continued, with an almost scared tone to his voice now. He brought up a file about a very violent looking man. He had burns and a vicious scar on his head. Luke recognized him immediately. "Looks like you and this man have a history."

"Not exactly. William Allen. He was a real dickhead back when I was in the force. He got arrested at least five times, twice by our precinct, and every time the evidence mysteriously vanished and we had to set him free. I heard he got killed by his sister a couple weeks back. Self defense?"

"Yep. Bastard tried to cut her up and she had a gun on her. Guess he never heard the 'knife to a gun fight' proverb. But here's the scary bit." Simmons clarified. The other agents knew Simmons rarely felt this way towards anyone. She then brought up a picture of his graveyard at daylight. Then she brought up another picture dated a day later. The grave had been dug up. "So, either some grave robbers decided they'd only dig up that one grave. Or-"

"Or the Many Heads have somehow gotten their hands on dragon juice and plan on using it." Jessica finished. Matt sighed and hung his head. His fellow defenders were looking worried as well.

"Now, we don't know what the nature of this... relationship is. We need to find out to why and how these two are connected. It's possible that the Many Heads just came across this 'dragon juice' by chance. But we need to know for sure. For now, we don't attack them directly. We investigate, we follow, we make sure they don't know we're looking into them. Also, some ground rules. No one goes anywhere alone or without letting the rest of us know about it. Understood?" Coulson ordered. His agents nodded. All the Defenders gave a verbal response except for Jessica. Coulson and the others waited for her. Jessica sighed before making reply.

"Yeah, we'll follow your lead, Sir." she answered. "Now what's the actual play here?"

"Danny, Luke, Colleen, Mac, you'll be our strike team, as it were. If we find something important going down somewhere, or we find they are planning something we can't allow to happen, we want you on hand. If you think you need to act on something, ask me first." Coulson started. Luke, Danny and Colleen nodded. "Matthew. You have a reputation for being one of the best lawyers in the city. You think you can put together a strong case against the Many Heads?"

"I could.. put together a case but I can't actually act on it. Pro bono. I do have a contact at Hogarth, Chao and Benowitz who could help in that regard." Matt answered honestly.

"My contact is better." Jessica interjected.

"Jessica, I want you and Trish to help Matthew build up his case. Look up everything you can about the Many Heads and the Hand. History, ex members, current members, known associates. The more the merrier. Daisy, you stay with Matthew. If he comes across something which requires action, I want someone on hand who can handle it. May, you go with Jessica and Trish."

"Hold up, Picard, I can handle myself." Jessica replied.

"You also have a habit of getting in over your head." Coulson added. Jessica sighed again. "May will make sure that doesn't happen."

Jessica made no further comment. She just nodded and sighed yet again.

"We have your numbers and we've sent you ours. I hope you have each others. Keep in contact and keep your phones silent. And... I'm sorry, I didn't catch your name." Coulson said to Claire. She had by now gone unnoticed by him. His acknowledgement of her existence shocked her.

"Claire. I'm a nurse." she said blankly.

"Any good?" he asked.

"I've saved his life-" Claire started, pointing at Matt. "-and her-" at Colleen, and then at Luke. "-and I've saved him twice. Yeah, I think I'm good."

"OK. You stay with Matthew. Keep track of his injuries. And if the others get injured, as unlikely as that outcome is, we may need an extra pair of hands. Well, Agents, Defenders: Good luck."

* * *

"For the 'Immortal Iron Fist', you suck with a phone." Luke joked. They were standing just a few feet outside the HQ. Danny had been trying for five minutes to add everyone's number to his phone. Now he was struggling to join the group which everyone else had moved into easily. Matt had already made 3 blind jokes. But Jessica was not to be outdone.

"I would say a blind man would be better at this than you, but.. oh wait, no, a blind man is better at this than you." she joked. Matt's laugh was the hardest. He felt like kicking himself for not thinking of that one. Jessica was on her own phone. "OK, I've texted Hogarth. She'll probably demand we meet up at her office and not Matt's apartment. You got through to, Foggy, was it?"

"Yeah, he's on his way. And Karen too. She said she's bringing Chinese take away." Matt replied. "Though at this rate, we won't get there till well after midnight."

"OK, I've done it, I'm in the group." Danny exclaimed.

"Welcome to the 21st Century." Mac joked. "Well, I guess this is where we split for the time being. Daisy, May, good luck."

He gave Daisy a small hug and shook May's hand. Luke went to hold Claire gently.

"Hopefully when we next meet, I won't need medical attention." he said. Claire laughed. They exchanged a kiss and Luke went with Danny, Colleen and Mac to go to the train station. The others went in the opposite direction, Matt walking close to Claire.

"You had to save the life of a bulletproof man twice?" he asked, sounding utterly dumbfounded.

 


	8. Some Minor Dissagrements

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Foggy and Karen have a few objections to Matt's new job - Hogarth has some worries about building a legal case against the Many Heads.

"ARE YOU INSANE?! That is-  ARE YOU INSANE!?"

"YOU NEARLY DIE AND NOW YOU'RE WORKING FOR SHIELD?!"

Those were the first sounds that Foggy and Karen made in reply to Matt's new job. And they didn't stop there. They didn't wait for the other to get a word in, or anyone else. They rambled, shouted, swore and made various noises of anger and disbelief. Matt just held his head down, waiting for it to finish. Claire & Trish did the same. May stood in the corner, watching the drama unfold with extraordinary patience. Jessica, however, was less patient.

"Jesus! He's blind, not deaf. In fact, he's like, reverse deaf." she shouted. Not as loud as Foggy or Karen, but loud enough to get their attention. Jessica looked to Matt, who nodded as a thank you.

"Guys, I know why you're angry." Matt started.

"I don't think you do, Matt." Foggy interrupted. He wasn't shouting anymore, but his voice still cut through the air, stopping Matt in his tracks. "We thought you were done with this. The costume, the mask, the fighting."

"He's not doing that." It was Daisy's turn to get a word in. She had been in the kitchen getting herself a cup of coffee. Mainly as an attempt to keep out of the shouting match. "He's going to help build a legal case against the Many Heads. Which is why we called you two here."

"No, if you needed a good lawyer, you could have gone to anyone. Hell, you probably have a thousand good lawyers." Foggy argued. "You came to him for Daredevil."

"Foggy, I know you never wanted me to do this, but-" Matt made another attempt to speak, but Foggy stopped him again.

"It's not about that, Matt. As much as I hate to admit, Daredevil did a lot of good. We would never have brought down Fisk without him. There are hundreds, thousands... god knows how many people in this city who are alive because of him." he continued.

"Then why-" Matt tried to talk yet again, and yet again he was interrupted. This time by Karen.

"You died, Matt." she stated. It wasn't a shout, but those words cut through everyone like ice. "We went to your funeral. We mourned, we grieved. I went to church every Sunday, hoping by some miracle you made it. And then... you did. Me and Foggy, we dropped everything when we got a call saying you were alive. You weren't awake when we first came to see you in that bed. Foggy bought some drinks from Josie's. I got some Chinese. We stayed with you until you woke up. By then, it was all gone. You died, but you came back. And now you want to just throw yourself back into this mess."

Matt froze. They could all tell she was holding back tears. Jessica watched as she tried to calm herself down and Foggy held her hand. She turned back to Matt, who was holding back tears himself.

"Guys-" he started, stopping suddenly as if to catch his breath. His voice sounded weak. "I can't say I don't want to get back into that suit, because I'd be lying. And I won't lie anymore. I promise I won't put the suit on until I'm ready. But I need help with this case. I- I miss you guys. I miss... this."

A long, uncomfortable silence followed. Everyone waited nervously for Foggy & Karen to respond. They both seemed to be waiting for the other to answer. Karen decided not to answer at all. She simply stood up and left the apartment, actively refusing to look at anyone, especially Matt. When they heard the door shut, all eyes turned to Foggy. He took a few seconds to gather his strength before standing, looking only at Matt.

"Look after yourself, buddy." he said. With that, he followed Karen out the door. Matt turned away from the others. Jessica looked to Trish, Claire & Daisy. They all appeared to be in the same boat Jessica was. They wanted to say... something. Something to cheer Matt up. But none of them could think of anything. Jessica received a text. Begging for good news, Jessica took out her phone. It was not good news.

"It's Hogarth; she wants us to come to her office." she explained, standing up to get ready to leave. Matt was still facing away from the others. "Uh, Trish, go to my place. Talk to Malcolm, he could help us on this."

"Yeah, sure thing." Trish replied, standing with Jessica. Jessica and Trish turned back to Matt.

"You OK, Matthew?" May asked. That question seemed to shake Matt into action for the time being. He turned around and sniffed heavily, fighting back the tears.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm fine." he lied. He grabbed his jacket and walking stick. "Uh, Claire, Daisy; make yourselves at home. I'll be back as soon as I can."

"Hey, Matt." Claire started. "Just.. don't strain yourself."

Matt couldn't bring himself to respond verbally. He nodded quickly and headed for the door, Jessica & Trish following closely.

"Keep in contact, Daisy." May said. Daisy nodded & May left to follow the others. Claire & Daisy both sighed heavily.

"I could use something alcoholic." Claire admitted.

* * *

 "You are just full of surprises, Jessica." Hogarth remarked. Jessica groaned at her, Matt stood to the side. Partly cause he was still an emotional wreck, mainly because he knew this was going to get ugly and he wasn't ready to be in the middle of it. "First you're a serial killer, then a superhero, and now you're a SHIELD agent. Is the next big headline going to be 'Jessica Jones: The New Avenger'?"

"Just answer the goddamn question." Jessica said impatiently.

"Why not ask Foggy Nelson? You two are still close, I believe?" Hogarth asked, looking to Matt.

"We have. He... said no." Matt answered.

"Yes or no, Hogarth?!" Jessica yelled.

"It isn't that simple, Jessica. These people are dangerous." Hogarth said, avoiding the question. Jessica knew before she started speaking that Hogarth would pull that move.

"The man standing next to me took down Wilson goddamn Fisk, I took down an ancient ninja death cult, and you're saying a bunch of Nazi wannabes are too dangerous for you?" Jessica ranted. Matt could hear people from outside the room reacting to the shouting. Hogarth's new secretary had stopped working to listen.

"Maybe not for you, Jessica, but definitely for me." Hogarth added. "Steven Jackson. He was a defense lawyer. He defended the victims of a hate crime by the Many Heads. He was found strangled to death in his own home. A minor named Jack Olsen was a witness to a murder committed by a member of the Many Heads. Found hanging in his own cell. One of my own lawyers has had to go into witness protection because of these, as you say, Nazi wannabes. Jessica, I have a very long list of examples."

"We can ask SHIELD to provide protection for you." Matt said, finally feeling comfortable enough to cut in.

"That's not the only issue, Mr. Murdock." Hogarth continued. Matthew almost respected how well she made her argument. She was definitely as good as her reputation. "These people are not just a bunch of teenagers ranting about 'white genocide' on Twitter. They are politicians, police officers, lawyers. You even suggest building a case against one of them, you are asking for trouble. A case against all of them? That's suicide."

Hogarth sighed and collected herself. Even she had started to lose control of herself a bit.

"Get something concrete, and I will consider it. Until then, we never had this conversation. If you two are going to go through with this, be careful and don't even think about dumping it on my doorstep." Hogarth finished. It wasn't much of an answer, but Jessica knew it was all they were going to get.

"Let's go, Murdock." she said. Matt grabbed Jessica's arm and followed her out the door.

"Was that good or bad?" Matt asked.

"For Hogarth, it's a bloody miracle she didn't say no." Jessica admitted, still sounding quite angry. "God, she can be a prick."

"She's just thinking over the pros and cons. She'll say yes eventually." Matt stated. They made it to the elevator, which went straight down. They were alone, so Matt could take his hand from Jessica's arm and stretch as much as he could.

"What in the hell makes you think she'll say yes? She said it would be suicide." Jessica argued.

"Imagine the headlines if she pulled this off. 'Hogarth Takes Down Many Heads.' If she's anything like you say, she won't turn that down." Matt explained.


End file.
